ann mcdermott reports from la. >> reporter: these gis proudly fought in world war ii. decorated in record numbers, even as they died in record numbers, even as their families, many of their families were forced into camps. an old world war ii film tries to explain why these young men fought. >> they have wanted to prove to other americans how wrong it is to judge a man by the pigment of his skin or the shape of his eyes. >> reporter: well, they proved it. and now more than half a century later some are getting tangible proof, a medal of honor, the nation's highest award for value our. a few years back the army reopened the files of dozens of japanese american and pacific islander soldiers from world war ii to see if any might have been denied awards because of possible prejudice. it was determined that more than 20 of these men should have, in fact, gotten medals of honor. one of them is senator daniel inaway who lost an army in a battlefield. another is joe sakado wounded in france. he is not sure he deserves a medal of honor. but he does know his old unit the 442nd r